EDUCATION

How to Write a Reflective Essay

Regardless of the university or college you plan to attend, you’ll have to write reflective essays at a certain point in your academic path. Unfortunately, essay writing is not easy for many students because of the academic writing standards accompanying it. Most often, you are not to speak your mind and should have literature supporting every idea you put into your essay.

The good thing is that reflective essays do let you speak up. In other words, you are allowed to provide your reflection on the events or phenomena while demonstrating your studying progress. Therefore, this kind of essay reflects your personal understanding of events rather than the ideas others had about them.

So, let’s first figure out what a reflective essay is.

Definition of a reflective essay

A reflective essay, also known as a reflection paper, is an essay that allows students to express their ideas on the topic instead of merely analyzing others’ thoughts. Reflective essays can focus on anything from humans’ evolution to your favorite movie. The main thing is that it must be interesting to read, grammatically correct, and structurally perfect.

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Ideas on reflective essay writing

Admission essays would be the closest if we compared reflective essays to any other type. The thing is that both allow you to talk about yourself, your feelings, and your personal experiences, at least those related to the topic.

Both are hard to write because they require you to use an academic vocabulary. Anyway, if you are hesitant about reflective essay writing, you should address a dissertation writing on EssayHub expert to get advice and support. They are truly experts in their work, so you won’t have any trouble writing.

Tips on how to write a reflective essay

Reflective essays can be different, so the approach you take to writing should also differ from one piece to another. Yet, certain tips are applicable regardless of what kind of essay you are writing.

If you wonder how to write a killer reflective essay, here is your guide.

The format

The format of your writing should change based on the audience you address. They can be:

  • academic, providing readers with scientific information or serving as a response to a lecture,
  • professional, analyzing someone’s behavior, or 
  • personal, telling your personal story or expressing your feelings.

Whoever reads your paper must feel that it is addressed to them. So it mustn’t be too difficult, too long, or too critical if your audience doesn’t want it.

Outline

One of the most important tips for reflective essay writing is to start with a plan. Professional writers always start with an outline when you buy term paper via essayservice – or actually any other paper. It clarifies what you will cover in your paper and helps filter important things from unimportant ones.

When you actually get to the writing part, you know what should go into your essay. As a result, you don’t get confused, and your writing is smooth and consistent.

Reflection

It is surprising, but it’s true: when you are finally allowed to write about your feelings and emotions, it’s hard to actually do it. Reflection is about explaining your personal experience through the lens of how it has changed you. You must not only describe your feelings but lead readers to understand what impact they had on you.

That means you should be selective when it comes to the topic. Once you’ve chosen the subject, you need to write down every experience and emotion you’ve had. This will help you determine the implications on a personal level. Then, when you are done with it, you’ll know better what to reflect on in your essay.

Structure

Even though you are allowed to step back from the academic rules and express your ideas, there is an iron rule of essay writing that you shouldn’t break. And it is structure. 

Your reflective essay should start with the introduction, continue with the body, and end with the conclusion. No deviation from this is allowed.

The structure is what makes reflective essays a part of academic writing. Even though you use fewer resources and references, you still remain consistent in your thoughts.

Notes

Reflective essays are always thought-provoking. That means a few interesting ideas will pop up when you are writing. That’s why you need a notebook or a piece of paper with you whenever you get to write a reflective essay. Some ideas that come so unexpectedly are worth including.

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Takeaway

Essay writing is one of the most difficult challenges you will face as a student. Firstly, writing them all according to academic rules and standards is hard. Secondly, essays, especially reflective ones, require you to analyze your experiences and put them in writing.

Nonetheless, if you know a few useful tips, this task may not be hard for you. You may finally find yourself enjoying the process.

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